The Ohio State University:  http://www.osu.edu

As I'm sure you know, Ohio State is a HUGE school!!  Coming from a small, liberal-arts university, I could not even fathom the number of students who would be walking around campus every day.  Be warned:  if you are driving on campus during the daytime, it will take you about four times to get where you want than you had planned.  Parking during the day is also impossible -- for tabling, we generally asked someone in the office to drop us off and pick us back up (make sure you bring your cell phone). 

Click here for a map of the OSU campus:   http://www.osu.edu/map/     

Although you'll probably take a tour during your first week here, it won't really help you learn your way around.  Get in your car and just drive for a while -- figure out where the Res Halls are, which one-ways go the direction you need and which ones don't, where to park, etc.  You'll get lost, but it's the best way to learn.

In the Residence Life section of this website, I've detailed some good places to table and which dorms have the highest percentage of Jewish students.  Just to recap:

n      Tabling on the Oval is always great, weather permitting

n      Tabling in the Union is good if you are giving something away; not good for lengthy projects.

n      Tabling in Kennedy Commons is the best place for art projects.

n      The four FYE dorms (Steeb, Smith, Stradley, and Park) are all first-years and have a lot of Jewish students, as does Taylor Tower -- good for tabling and programming.

Unless any of these have changed, you should contact  (see Residence Life for why):

Jenny Klein, Director of Residence Life:          klein.148@osu.edu, 292.3930

Barb Kefalas, South Campus Director:             kefalas.1@osu.edu

Scott Boden, Scarlet Campus Director:             boden.4@osu.edu

Cheryl Lyons, North Campus Director:           lyons.169@osu.edu

Students to Contact (find their home phone numbers from CIVIC) (see Residence Life and Grads and Professionals (GAP) to see who they are and why you should talk to each one):

Rose Gabay, Foundation Fellow:  gabay.8@osu.edu

Robert Diznoff , Foundation Fellow:  diznoff.1@osu.edu

Cory Shapiro, Grad, Res Life:   shapiro.91@osu.edu

Julie Hutner, 2^nd-Year, JOC:  hutner.3@osu.edu

Eric Samuels, 2^nd-Year, JOC:  samuels.39@osu.edu

Jaime Klausner, Co-President, JLSA, GAP:  klausner.4@osu.edu

Shannan Katz, Co-President, JLSA:  katz.79@osu.edu

Things to do in Columbus:

The best way to learn about this city is just to explore it.  It's pretty easy to get around, as long as you can figure out directions by "east/west/north/south" instead of "make a left."  I-71 goes north/south, I-70 goes east/west, and 270 makes a circle around the city.  Some of my favorite places to go are listed below.

Shopping:

Easton Town Center:  Think of the biggest mall you know; now think of that mall taking steroids.  That's what Easton is -- this place has every store you'd ever need, tons of restaurants, a 30-screen movie theater, comedy club, bars, and more!!  I probably spent a good part of my free time out here, and a good part of my paycheck!  Click on the link for more info: http://www.eastontowncenter.com

Polaris Fashion Place:  Polaris is also nice (it is all indoors), it has a Sak's and Lord & Taylor, but none of the Limited stores and no movie-theater around.  Here is the link: http://www.polarisfashionplace.com/

Lennox:  Lennox is the closest shopping area to campus; it's right on the other side of Olentangy River.  There is an Old Navy, Target, Staples, and Bath & Body Works, plus a big movie theater and a few restaurants (I like Champs the best of all of them).

Restaurants:

Haiku (Short North) -- Great sushi!  A great place to eat before the Gallery Hop (see below), especially because you can leave your car there.  Just be sure to make reservations in advance.

Katzinger's (German Village) -- Real deli-food, yummy but expensive.  Zachary's (Easton) is also really good, especially their potato latkes!

The Cheesecake Factory (Easton) -- Good drinks, great food, and the best desserts!

Buca Di Bepo's (Arena District) -- Family-style Italian, it's a lot of fun for a big group.

Greater's -- The BEST ice cream!!  Probably what I'll miss most about Columbus.

Mill Street Bagels (Grandview & Clintonville) -- This is a great place for lunch; you pick what you want in your salad and then they mix it all up for you.  The bagels are a nice change of pace from what we serve.

Cap City Diner (Grandview) -- They have a nice mix of food, including salads, sandwiches, fish, and more.  Their Sunday brunch is supposedly great; I enjoyed several really yummy lunches there.

Other Things to Do:

Gallery Hop: One of the most unique things about Columbus, the Gallery Hop happens on the first Saturday night of each month.  All the stores and art galleries in the Short North stay open late, till 10pm or 11pm, and most of them put out wine, cheese, crackers, or dessert.  You will see the most eclectic mix of people enjoying themselves -- especially when the weather is nice.  Make sure you go at least once, even if you aren't going to buy anything!

Arts & Culture:  I love theater, so I was excited that I was able to see two shows through Hillel.  If you are interested in seeing other shows that come through town, many of them have student rush tickets -- you just need to call the box office. The Wexner Center  puts on an assortment of shows, as does CatCo, plus there is a ballet company and symphony.  There are two local papers that come out regularly with listings of music performances and plays -- "The Other Paper" and "Columbus Alive" -- you can find both at local stores and restaurants.

Other Places to Go: Don't forget about the Columbus Zoo, the Franklin Conservatory, COSI Science Museum (with an IMAX), and the Museum of Art.  Plus keep your eye out for Shakespeare in the Park during the summer, a variety of music and art festivals, some great concerts, and, of course, sporting events!!

The best place to get information about what is going on in Columbus is through this website: http://columbus.citysearch.com/  You can search by date and what you are looking for exactly (restaurant, music, etc).  I use http://yp.yahoo.com to find phone numbers and addresses to places, and http://www.moviefone.com for movie tickets.

One last thing:  When the work is building up and your stress levels are dangerously high, maybe it's time for a massage!! I frequented a student clinic at the American Institute of Alternative Medicine -- for $30 (no tip) you get a 50 minute massage from a student in his/her last quarter before certification.  Most of my massages there were really good -- especially for that cheap.  Check out http://www.aiam.edu for more information.